As President Donald Trump waited to learn the fate of his reelection bid, the Trump administration fired three people from prominent government agencies this week.
As reported by NPR, Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Bonnie Glick, deputy administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and Neil Chatterjee, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, were relieved of their duties.
Gordon-Hagerty, who was the first woman administrator of the National Nuclear Security, oversaw the national nuclear stockpile. She was told to resign by Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette. No reason for the decision was given and, according to The Hill, two senior NNSA officials said the move was unrelated to the election.
This decision, however, was criticized by Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe, who serves as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Inhofe, who is a Republican, said that Brouillette’s call for Gordon-Hagerty’s resignation “during this time of uncertainty demonstrates he doesn’t know what he’s doing in national security matters and shows a complete lack of respect for the semi-autonomous nature of NNSA.”
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The Hill also reported that Gordon-Hagerty and Brouillette disagreed over NNSA budgeting, with the latter wanting less funding for the department than the former, which may have caused lingering tension between the two of them.
Inhofe said that Gordon-Hagerty is “an exemplary public servant and remarkable leader.”
Glick, who was the second highest-ranking official at the U.S. Agency for International Development, was ousted as her superior John Barsa’s interim period as acting administrator of the agency expired, according to CNN. It is believed her removal is a byproduct of retaining Barsa.
Chatterjee, a former aide of Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, is being replaced by FERC Commissioner James Danly, as reported by Green Tech Media. Danly is said to take a more conservative view on Energy that reflects the administration’s view on Energy more closely than Chatterjee.
“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to serve as the Chairman of FERC alongside my colleagues and staff, who represent some of the most talented and hardworking professionals in the U.S. government,” Chatterjee stated.